In numerous medical applications it becomes necessary to connect one section of tubing to another. In such situations it is important that the connection be secure so that it will not pull apart and that there be no leakage of fluid at the site of the connection. This is especially critical in applications where the tubing sections are implanted in the human body.
One such application involves the use of an implantable drug pump. Such pumps are useful in the treatment of cancer pain, to control spasticity and other applications where it is desirable to provide drugs or fluid medication to a particular location in the body. A typical implant procedure involves implanting the drug pump in a body cavity or subcutaneous pocket location for delivery of drugs to the epidural space or intrathecal space of the spinal column. In this application a catheter having multiple body sections including a thin-walled distal section and a thicker-walled proximal section is used to deliver the drug to the site of administration. The distal section of the catheter is positioned in the desired location and then connected to the proximal section of the catheter by use of a medical connector. The connection is made by inserting one end of the connector into the lumen of one catheter section and the other end of the connector into the lumen of the other catheter section and then sliding the catheter sections toward the middle of the connector until they meet. The proximal section is then connected to the drug pump.
Numerous difficulties have been encountered in the manufacture and use of prior art medical connectors to connect catheter tubing sections. For example, these connectors, which have been sized to fit within the lumens of the catheter tubing sections, are very small and difficult for the implanting physician to handle. In addition, because such connectors fit entirely within the lumens of the catheter sections it is difficult for the physician to be sure that the joint between catheter sections is positioned over the center of the connector. Misalignment of the connector can result in a weakened connection which is more likely to come apart or to leak. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a connector which is easier for the physician to handle and which prevents misalignment of the connector.